Pop Music Song Lyrics and Classic Poetry, Compare & Contrast, PDF & Google Drive

Use this two-day poetry lesson to help your students connect modern music/song lyrics to classic poetry. On the first day, students will compare and contrast the song, “Stereo Hearts,” by Gym Class Heroes, to Robert Burns’ classic poem, “A Red, Red Rose.” Both poems use simile and metaphor to describe the feeling of falling in love. On the second day, students will compare and contrast The Script’s song, “Breakeven,” with Edmund Spenser’s “Sonnet 30,” as both works discuss the paradox of emotions that accompany a broken heart.

This 8-page product includes two pages of detailed suggested lesson procedures (with links for video clips and song lyrics), four pages of student handouts, and two pages of detailed answer keys/discussion starters. The item downloads as a PDF and includes Google Drive versions of all student handouts.

These two lessons will fit smoothly into ANY poetry unit and are appropriate for advanced middle school and high school students.

This item is included in my 4-week poetry unit. Click HERE to check out my money-saving poetry lesson bundle. If you purchase the bundle, there's no need to buy this item separately.

This item is also included in my English 9-10 full-year curriculum. If you already own the full-year download, please do not purchase this item here individually. If you’d like to receive this item plus everything else needed to teach 180 days of English 9 or English 10 at a deeply discounted price, click here to learn more about the full-year curriculum download.

Thanks for stopping by!

Image credit: Eric Nopanen, Unsplash, Public domain